The Whitman College women’s ultimate team is typically never short of at least a couple standouts every year, but with this year’s first-year class came a player with an especially rare level of talent.

First-year Claire Revere came into Whitman already boasting one junior national team appearance, and this year she made the team once again. Following a written application process, Revere was selected to go to the physical tryouts at the west coast location and was selected from the 80 girls chosen to attend the physical tryouts for a spot on the team.

Given that the Whitman ultimate program is relatively small nationally, Revere making this team helps the notoriety of the program significantly.

“It is a great thing for the Whitman ultimate program because not only does she bring a great amount of knowledge and experience from an ultimate standpoint, she also helps put our small college on the map for young ultimate players as a destination to play high level Frisbee,” said junior men’s team captain Peter O’Rourke.

Revere started playing in fourth grade, where she was on the school ultimate team for two years, and has played ever since then. Unlike most sports, ultimate is unique in that there are no referees, which is something that influences the way the sport is played in general and something Revere enjoys.

“I like ultimate because you have to hold yourself and everyone else on either team accountable for playing fairly with the self-refereeing,” said Revere.

To her teammates, Revere’s love for the game is contagious.

“When I first saw Claire play, I could tell that she knew a lot about frisbee, and I could tell that she had played a lot before. She also just seemed like she’d be a great teammate to have generally because of how much she loves the sport,” said sophomore teammate Marlena Sloss.

Revere’s passion is evident to players on the men’s team as well, as they often practice and play alongside their female counterparts.

“She understands the game and can play it at a remarkably high level. But she also loves the game and is always smiling and having a good time. Her enthusiasm was a great addition to the team from day one,” said O’Rourke.

Off the field, Revere is just another fun-loving college kid, but also possesses leadership qualities that most first-years don’t have.

“She’s generally just a really happy person and values being friends with her teammates more than just playing on the field with them. She’s been the one to organize a few of the first-year bonding events,” said Sloss.

Those leadership qualities also shine through on the field both in practice and in games. If she’s not directly telling her teammates what they could be doing better, Revere’s abilities inspire her teammates and truly make a difference for the team, even as a first-year.

“Bringing people with that much experience into the team is great for older players who are experienced but haven’t necessarily been exposed to other players with her level of experience,” said Sloss.

“She also has been coached by people in the ultimate community who are very knowledgeable, and so she brings things to the team that most people haven’t known before.”

O’Rourke shared similar thoughts, noting that Revere’s knowledge is complemented by her impressive physical talent.

“She is a great player because of her speed, hands, athleticism and willingness to sacrifice her body. She has played the game a long time and is willing to share her knowledge with her teammates. She is also extremely competitive and pushes herself hard every game,” said O’Rourke.

Being on the junior national team means a great amount of travel and more memorable moments for Revere.

“My favorite memory was when we beat Colombia at Junior Worlds two years ago, and it was disgusting out with horrible weather. It was a super close game, and at the end everyone was covered in mud. It was so fun,” said Revere.

Though she has played at a high level for a while now, playing in college for the Sweets is a new experience for Revere.

“Being on the Sweets is great. It’s such a fun-loving group of people, and we do a lot outside of frisbee together. Playing in college is cool because on a lot of the teams we play, there are players and friends I’ve played with before and it’s always great to see them,” said Revere.